Absolutely not. I’m going to show you why, and tell you what to do next.

The Persistence of Content Marketing

Content marketing isn’t going anywhere. Though some have predicted the “death of content marketing” at the hands of better technology, consumer burnout or boredom, or even fake content, the reality is people will always be hungry for information and entertainment—which is what content marketing provides.

Content and SEO have gone through a number of changes over the years—and have many more to come—but all that will do is change how content is created and consumed. The content itself will still matter, which means there will always be room for your blog.

The Infinity of Niches

Are you worried that everything’s already been done? Well, people have been afraid of that for decades, and it doesn’t stop new blogs from emerging. The way I see it, there’s an infinite number of niches and topics that you could cover. Every topic can be broken down into hundreds of subtopics, and each of those subtopics can be broken down into multiple potential target audiences; on top of that, you can always find a new way to tackle a subject (such as with a different content medium, a new tone of voice, or a more thought-provoking format), and new developments will always produce new demands.

For example, if you want to write about board games, you could pick a specific genre of game or a mechanic to focus on, tailor your posts to a highly specific audience, then utilize new tactics to distinguish yourself.

Audience Growth

It’s also worth mentioning that content audiences are consistently growing over time. More users are introduced to the internet, the internet becomes more and more accessible (such as with public Wi-Fi and mobile devices), and blogs become even more popular; the result is an ever-growing pool of potential readers that is currently showing no signs of slowing down.

Ease of Entry

It’s incredibly easy to get started with a blog, and it gets easier all the time. Free content management systems like WordPress exist to put simple websites in the hands of even the least technologically-savvy users, and WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors allow non-designers to create websites that look exactly the way they want them to.

There’s still a learning curve, of course, and your first attempt at building a blog isn’t going to be perfect, but in the span of a few hours, you can create a basic enough platform to put you to work.

What to Do From Here

So by this point, I hope I’ve convinced you that it’s still worth starting a blog as your first step toward launching a content marketing strategy, but the sooner you get started, the better, and the first step is usually the most difficult. So where do you go from here?

1. Sketch an idea.

Your first job is to get an idea on paper. What are you going to blog about? Why are you qualified to blog about it? At this point, don’t worry about having the “perfect” answer; instead, jot down some ideas for future development. You can whittle down your list later.

2. Do some research.

Next, do some research. What kinds of blogs already exist on this topic? What readership are they seeing? What can you do differently, and what do people want to see?

3. Get a domain.

Once you settle on a single topic and hone it to perfection, get a strong domain from a provider like GoDaddy.

4. Build a starter site.

Next, choose a platform and start building your site. The good news is, most modern platforms come equipped with everything you need to establish a web presence, including responsive design templates and automatic optimization for search engine listings. Again, this doesn’t have to be perfect—you can always make changes later.

5. Claim your social media profiles.

If you have the name for your blog set (which you should, if you’ve already gotten a domain), it’s time to claim your social media profiles. Even if you don’t flesh them out yet, get dibs on the URLs you want.

6. Set goals and a schedule.

Create an editorial calendar (or use a template if you prefer), and start planning out the content you intend to create. How often are you going to post? How quickly are you trying to grow? Now’s the time to set your goals.

7. Write your first post.

Stop procrastinating and make the effort. Once your first post is done, everything else will seem easier.

With your first post in place and a framework for where to go from here, there should be nothing stopping you from building your initial momentum. Don’t expect to be an overnight sensation, though—you still have a lot to learn (which you’ll mostly get from experience), and even good blogs take months, or even years, to develop. The important thing is that you’ve gotten started, and you now have everything you need to build a road to success as a content marketer. For help on our journey, see The Definitive Guide to Content Marketing.

Founder & CEO of AudienceBloom, a Seattle-based content marketing firm, as well as EmailAnalytics, an email productivity app, and Kwippy, an iOS/Android app in which users receive themed photo challenges randomly throughout the day. I'm on a mission to demystify and simp...